Mosaic plug-in toy and picture patterns

ABSTRACT

A MOSAIC PLUG-IN TOY HAVING A GRID TYPE BASE MEMBER AND A PLURALITY OF MOSAIC TILES ADAPTED TO BE PLUGGED INTO THE BASE MEMBER, AND HAVING A SHEET OF MATERIAL ADAPTED TO FORM OUTLINES ON THE GRID PORTION WHICH FORMS, WITH THE INDIVIDUAL TILE UNITS, THE COMPLETED DESIGN. THE OUTLINE SHEET IS HELD TO THE GRID BY THE TILES. THE PACKAGE FOR THE TOY IS PROVIDED BY A BOX HAVING A BASE MEMBER WHICH SERVES AS A DECORATIVE PICTURE FRAME FOR THE COMPLETED MOSAIC DESIGN.

March 2,v 1971v A, KNER ET AL MOSAIC PLUG-IN TOYS' AND PICTURE PATTERNS 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Aug. l2, 1968 Y nnnnnnnnnn DD DDDDDDUD DD DDD DDD D D D D DDU-u DDDUDDDDDD DDD-MDD DDD DDDDU BUD-DUDE DDGGDUD n DDHH-HUD l Y .nv l m nnon.unnnnnnnnnnnonnnnnnnnnnn.

United States Patent O MOSAIC PLUG-IN TOY AND PICTURE PATTERNS Albert Kner, Chicago, Ill., Roland T. Schorer, Smoke Rise, NJ., and James B. Swett, Barrington, RJ., as-

signors to Rexall Drug and Chemical Company, Los

Angeles, Calif.

Filed Aug. 12, 1968, Ser. No. 751,814 Int. Cl. A63h 33/08 U.S. Cl. 46-17 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A mosaic plug-in toy having a grid type base member and a plurality of mosaic tiles adapted to be plugged into the base member, and having a sheet of material adapted to form outlines on the grid portion which forms, with the individual tile units, the completed design. The outline sheet is held to the grid by the tiles. The package for the toy is provided by a box having a base member which serves as a decorative picture frame for the completed mosaic design.

This invention generally relates to mosaic pattern toys of the type comprising a base panel or plate upon which a number of individual mosaic tile elements can be placed in decorative arrangement.

U.S. Pat. 3,274,727, entitled Mosaic Plug-In Toy and issued to Werner Zander on Sept. 27, 1966 describes and claims a unique mosaic plug-in toy. The inventions disclosed and claimed herein constitute improvements over the toy described in that patent, as well as improvements in the art in general pertaining to toys and packaging.

It was an object of this invention to provide a mosaic plug-in toy having a greater esthetic appeal provided by the utilization of a background design sheet under the mosaic tiles.

Another object of the inevntion was the provision of a mosaic plug-in toy that could be easily assembled in a given configuration of mosaic tiles with a background sheet member.

Another object of the inevntion was the provision of a unique package for a toy of the foregoing type, wherein the base portion of the box in which the toy is to be sold would serve also as a decorative frame for the assembled toy.

These and other objects of the invention will be apparent from the following disclosure and the attached drawings which describe and show a specific embodiment thereof.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the assembled toy according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a view in cross-section taken on line 2-2 of FIG. l;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view of the base member of the toy;

FIG. 4 is a view in cross-section taken on line 4-4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an exploded fragmentary perspective view showing the relationship of the individual tiles to base member and the background forming sheet of the toy according to the invention;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the container for the toy with the base portion partially removed from the cover portion;

FIG. 7 is a plan view of the assembled toy according to the invention as inserted in the base portion of a storage box for the toy;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 8-8 of FIG. 7.

ICC

Referring now to the drawings, the toy includes a base plate formed of intersecting grid bars 11. Studs 12 extend beneath the base plate for elevating purposes as well as for the purpose of connecting two such base plates together as set out in U.S. Pat. 3,274,727.

Mosaic element plates 13 are adapted to be fitted on base plate 10. The element plates 13 include plug means 14, a lateral surface 15 at the rear of the element plate, and spacers 16 formed as cylindrical shoulders.

A background design is formed on the grid by means of sheets of relatively thin material 18 which overlie the grid bars. The sheets have openings 18 and an irregular edge 19. When the sheets 17 are placed upon the grid, openings 18 are aligned with individual openings in the grid.

The mosaic plug-in toy according to the invention is assembled by laying sheet 17 on grid 10, and then inserting tiles 13 through the holes 18 in the sheets. The tiles are inserted in the grid holes where plug means 14 is frictionally engaged between grid bars 11. Spacer 16 raises the face of mosaic tile element 13 above the grid. Due to the fact that the spacer is wider than hole 18 in sheet 17, the sheet is tirmly pressed to the face of the base plate thereby (FIG. 2).

As shown in FIG. 1, the resulting design is a composite of the outline formed by background sheet 17, and the arrangement of various tiles 13 thereon. An example of the designs that can be formed using an individual sheet 17 is the one shown in FIG. 1 including the ligure of a spaceman to the lower left, the igrre of a rocket prepared for lanuch to the right, and a helicopter `figure in the upper left corner.

Sheets 17 are preferably formed from a rectangular sheet by perforating lines on the sheet defining an irregular outline forming edge and the interiorly positioned openings. The outside material can then be removed simply by pressing with the lingers to form the external edge. The holes can be similarly formed.

Referring to FIG. 6, a box 19 for the toy kit is shown. The box includes a base portion 20 and cover 21. As shown, the cover 21 is adapted to slide over the base portion 20. The base portion has side and end walls 22 and a base -wall 23. The side walls include an inner wall 24 and an outwardly directed wall 25 which is slanted downwardly in the form of a picture frame. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the base plate 10 of the toy is insertable between the walls of the base portion of the box. The box is dimensioned such that the planar base portion is adapted to be firmly held therein. To this end, it is preferred to have a yieldable protrusion on the inner wall above the top surface of the base portion 10 when the latter is positioned within the box. This yieldable resilient protrusion provides additional assurance that the base 10 will remain in the frame formed by box portion 20. As best seen in FIG. 8, the yieldable protrusion is preferably formed as a normally outwardly bowed inner wall 24. Such a wall can be formed by having a score line located at the desired protrusion point if the box is formed of cardboard or other like materials.

The sheets 17 are preferably formed by die cutting a rectangular blank of thin plastic material.

The foregoing describes a speciic embodiment of the invention, the scope of which is deiined by the following claims.

We claim:

1. A mosaic plug-in toy comprising a base having a substantially uniformly disposed top surface area and through which there are positioned a plurality of spaced openings, a sheet of relatively thin material overlying portions of said base and having at least one smooth iiowing but irregular design outline forming the peripheral edge of said sheet adjacent to which at least potrions of said hase top surface area are exposed, said sheet further including openings therein, which openings expose additional of said base top surface area, a multiplicity of mosaic element plates having a rear side and plug means extending at substantially right angles thereto, said plug means being insertable in the openings in said base and adapted to be frictionally held therein, said mosaic element plates having spacer means and at least one lateral surface portion at the rear side thereof, said spacer means extending from said lateral surface portion a distance less than the length of said plug means, said plug means being insertable through the openings in said sheet so that at least some of said spacer means are in abutting relationship with said sheet When the plug means are inserted in the base; said openings in said sheet being positioned so that the mosaic element plates inserted therethrough and the outline of said sheet form a mosaic design.

2. A mosaic plug-in toy comprising a grid-shaped base plate formed of a plurality of grid bars having upwardly exposed substantially uniformly disposed top surface areas and intersecting each other so as to dene grid openings between said bars, a sheet of relatively thin material overlying portions of the top surface areas of said grid bars and having at least one smooth flowing but irregular design outline forming the peripheral edge adjacent to which at least portions of the top surface areas of said grid bars are exposed, said sheet further including openings therein, which openings expose additional of said top surface areas, a multiplicity of mosaic element plates having a rear side and plug means extending therefrom at substantially right angles thereto, said plug means being insertable in said grid openings and adapted to be frictionally held therein, said mosaic element plates having spacer means and at least one lateral surface portion at the rear side thereof, said spacer means extending from said latera1 surface portion a distance less than the length of said plug means, said plug means being insertable through the openings in said sheet so that at least some of said spacers are in abutting relationship with said sheet when the plugs are inserted in certain of the grid openings, said openings in said sheet being positioned so that the mosaic element plates inserted therethrough and the outline of said sheet form a mosaic design.

References Cited y UNITED STATES PATENTS 887,342 5/1908 McLane 35-27 1,087,207 2/ 1914 Austin 35-27 2,984,488 5/ 1961 Kirchner 35-27X 3,274,727 9/ 1966 Zander 46-16 FOREIGN PATENTS 60,919 8/ 1954 France 46-17 F. BARRY SHAY, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R.

@if UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,565 f 529 Dated March 2, 1971 Inventol-(s) Albert Kner, Roland T. Schorer, James B. Swett It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

REXALL l DRUG AND CHEMICAL COMPANY should read:

DART INDUSTRIES INC.

Signed and sealed this 6th day of July 1971.

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD M.FLETCHER, JR. `WILLIAM E.' SCHUYLER, JR. Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents 

